we begin with a developing story as to leaked intelligence that congressional officials say is putting american lives at risk. the top republicans and democrats on the house senate intelligence committee, house and senate intelligence committees say they will find and plug what one calls a cascade of national security leaks. >> this is not finger pointing at anybody. what we are trying to do is say we have a problem and we want to stop that problem. when people say they don't want to work with the united states because they can't trust us to keep a secret, that's serious. >> senator john mccain accuses members of the obama administration of leaking secrets to make the president look good in an election year. well, the white house flatly denies it. our senior congressional

correspondent, dana bash, asked the top republican on the intelligence committee whether he thinks those leaks were politically motivated. here is what he said. >> we've been through this before in the bush administration. wherever the responsibility falls out, that's where it is going to be. if it is in the administration shall fine. if it is not in the administration, fine. >> dana bash joins us now. hi, dana. you have been all over this story today. in your view, what is this big show of bipartisanship by members of the intelligence members on the hill tell us about the severity of the leaks? >> it tells me they clearly seem to be pretty severe. these four members, not just coming together in a bipartisan way, it is kind of like the old e.f. hutton, maybe i am dating myself, when they talk, especially all together, people listen, or at least they should. these are the members that have

the most access to intelligence information. they are the people that would know if the leaks really have done damage to our national security. as you heard from just a couple of them there, they do believe that they have done damage to national security in general, to the relationship the u.s. has with allies and being able to share information. also, on a human level, it has threatened people's lives. the cascade of leaks quickly that we are talking about here are the fact that the "associated press" reported that there was a thwarted bomb attack. a couple of "new york times" reports about the president's hit list when it comes to his drone attacks and others. they say they are working on legislation to stop leaks like this in the future. really, the issue is the here and now and wet and how the leaks are going to be investigated. >> three big leaks in all in recent weeks. i know these members agree it is a problem. do they agree how the problem should be investigated? >> not really. on the republican side,

particularly in the house, the house intelligence chairman, mike rogers, he believes that there should be an independent counsel or an independent investigator to look at all of this globally. the senate democratic chair woman, dianne feinstein, says she is not sure. she thinks it would take too long. that could take years. we don't have years. the fbi is clearly investigating now. there was a flurry of activity here on capitol hill about this, not just press conference but a briefing from the director of national intelligence and the fbi director. dianne feinstein came out and told our ted barrett that the u.s. attorney in d.c. is voilthing at least one of these cases. it is going on. there is a debate about whether or not it needs to be done in a more aggressive way outside the and in a more independent way outside the fbi. >> i have a feeling we are going to hear a lot more about this one. thanks so much, dana. to continue along these lines, we are joined now by cnn national security contributor,

fran townsend, a member of the external advisory committees for the cia and homeland security department. she also served as president george w. bush's homeland security adviser. hi, fran. >> hi, jessica. >> i am going to ask you something a little out of the box. i know this is unusual. first, i want to ask you about the content of some of these stories. on the drone story and the president's so-called kill list the, should the president of the united states actually have -- should he have the power to authorize drone kills with only a small number of congressional leaders getting briefed after the fact? is that a dangerous step? >> look, it is understandable that people are concerned. the administration waited a long time. john brennan went into the woodrow wilson center and talked about the drone program. it was years after they had been asked again and again about the criteria and the process. people are understandably concerned about the president having that authority. what i find odd is that you

would have the president of the united states at least personally actually approving the targets. after all, this is the sort of thing that normally happens at the head of agency who has the operational authority to make those decisions. so i think this is one where, yes, he has got -- he technically has the legal authority but what the process is and how we explain this to the american people is quite important given that this technique has been used against american citizens. >> i would point ou. we wouldn't be able to have this conversation if there had not been a leak, a story on this. >> right. >> now, yesterday, deputy attorney general james cole said he did not think it was necessary to appoint a special prosecutor to find out who was leaking. what do you think? is a special prosecutor appropriate in this kags? >> you know, jessica, i served in both the clinton and the bush administrations. every time i served in the executive branch, i can't remember a time when the executive branch thought a

special prosecutor was a good idea. look, that means the executive bran branch seeds that is right to an inpent pers independent person. very little oversight. executive branches of both parties don't like special prosecutors when they are in power. what you need a special prosecutor is if you believe that the leak came from inside the executive branch, it is difficult to ask them to investigate themselves. i don't think we have enough facts to know whether or not a special prosecutor is warranted here. i will tell you, it is true what senator dianne feinstein said, they tend to have two broad mandates that take them too long and they cost a lot of money before you get to any result. so if urgency is the order of the day, then this may not be the best way to proceed. >> all right. fran townsend with invaluable

perspective as always. thanks so much. >> thanks, jessica. >> in a few minutes, we will talk to one of the lawmakers who attended today's closed door meetings, house intelligence chairman, mike rogers. bill clinton explained why he said the bush area tax cuts should be temporarily extended. listen carefully to what he told wolf blitzer earlier. >> i am very sorry about what happened yesterday. what i thought something had to be done on the fiscal cliff before the election. apparently, nothing has to be be done until the first of the year. i think he should stick with his position. >> for some perspective, let's talk to somebody who knows president clinton, really, really well, democratic strategist and former counselor to the president, paul bagala. hi, paul. >> hi, jessica. good to see you. >> you are there where the president's charity event is happening. >> at the clinton global

initiative. i bet you i am not going to say anything mean about him. >> how is it that president clinton, who obsess civil follows the economy and has a steel trap memory is confused about when the tax breaks are going to expire? >> he is no longer the president and is busy with his foundation helping to save millions of people's lives in africa, helping to work with development and fight childhood obesity. he doesn't follow the deadline in the latest law for the latest expiration or tax changes. he just got it wrong by a couple of weeks. i thought he cleaned it up very well. i just don't think -- i didn't think it was a big deal when he said it the other day. i don't think it is a big deal today. >> it also sounded maybe like he was falling on his sword. this is a man who says he spends two hours every day dedicated to studying the economy. should we expect the former president to issue an apology every time he goes off message

this year? >> look, i think he is as transparent as any politician i have ever known, right? when he thinks something, he says it. he says he got the facts wrong. he came forward and said, i got the facts wrong. president clinton strongly believes we have to get our fiscal house in order, part of that has to be new revenue and that new revenue should come from the people that have benefited the most. he wants to repeal the tax breaks for the upper income americans, those that make more than a quarter of a million dollars a year. the rest of us, he does not want to repeal the tax cuts for. it is the same position as president obama. >> politico and wall street journal both had pieces out today about frustrations that some clinton aides are having with the former president going off message. that implied that his age cob a factor. do you buy that? >> no, no. i talked to one of the writers of that thing. i guess i can't use the language he used. no, that's not the case at all.

that's just -- it is simply the situation where he got this date wrong instead of that date but the fundamental fiscal policy he believes in is very much where president obama is. i am not at all worried about president clinton that way. >> i think we are not going to see the president cleaning up every single type he speaks his mind. we will see a bunch of months between now and november. thanks so much for coming on. >> here is the deal. they do want him out there. ask any politician in america or world, do you want bill clinton to come campaign for you? they will say, yes, of course, i do. the obama people are wise to use him. perhaps if some others had used him, maybe they would have become president too. >> that's because he is good on the stump? >> he is the best. >> still to come, the always colorful former head of the democratic party who thinks we are a nation of wusses. people with a machine.

what ? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it ? hello ? hello ?!

if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello ? ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. until i got a job in the big apple. adjusting to city life was hard for me. and becoming a fulltime indoor cat wasn't easy for atti. but we had each other and he had purina cat chow indoor. he absolutely loved it. and i knew he was getting everything he needed to stay healthy indoors. and after a couple of weeks, i knew we were finally home! [ female announcer ] purina cat chow indoor. always there for you. there are a lot of warning lights and sounds vying for your attention. so we invented a warning.. you can feel. introducing the all new cadillac xts, available with the patented safety alert seat. when there is danger you might not see,

you're warned by a pulse in the seat. it's technology you won't find in a mercedes e-class. the all new cadillac xts has arrived. and it's bringing the future forward. in here, great food demands a great presentation. so at&t showed corporate caterers how to better collaborate by using a mobile solution, in a whole new way. using real-time photo sharing abilities, they can create and maintain high standards, from kitchen to table. this technology allows us to collaborate with our drivers to make a better experience for our customers. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪

helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ ♪ we all need it. to move. to keep warm. to keep us fed. to make clay piggies. but to keep doing these things in the future... at shell, we believe the world needs a broader

mix of energies. that's why we're supplying natural gas to generate cleaner electricity... that has around 50% fewer co2 emissions than coal. and it's also why, with our partner in brazil, shell is producing ethanol - a biofuel made from renewable sugarcane. ♪ >>a minute, mom! let's broaden the world's energy mix. let's go. scroll... tap... pinch... and zoom... in your car. introducing the all-new cadillac xts with cue. ♪ don't worry. we haven't forgotten. you still like things to push. [ engine revs ] the all-new cadillac xts has arrived, and it's bringing the future forward.

support team usa and show our olympic spirit right in our own backyard. so we combined our citi thankyou points to make it happen. tom chipped in 10,000 points. karen kicked in 20,000. and by pooling more thankyou points from folks all over town, we were able to watch team usa... [ cheering ] in true london fashion. [ male announcer ] now citi thankyou visa card holders can combine the thankyou points they've earned and get even greater rewards. ♪

more than 50 times a day? so brighten your smile a healthy way with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only rinse that makes your teeth two shades whiter and two times stronger. ♪ listerine® whitening... power to your mouth. mcallen, texas. in here, heavy rental equipment in the middle of nowhere, is always headed somewhere. to give it a sense of direction, at&t created a mobile asset solution to protect and track everything. so every piece of equipment knows where it is, how it's doing or where it goes next. ♪ this is the bell on the cat. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ helping you do what you do... even better. last season was the gulf's best tourism season in years.

in florida we had more suntans... in alabama we had more beautiful blooms... in mississippi we had more good times... in louisiana we had more fun on the water. last season we broke all kinds of records on the gulf. this year we are out to do even better... and now is a great time to start. our beatches are even more relaxing... the fishing's great. so pick your favorite spot on the gulf... and come on down. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home.

[ creaking ] [ male announcer ] trophies and awards lift you up. but they can also hold you back. unless you ask, what's next? [ zapping ] [ clang ] this is the next level of performance. the next level of innovation. the next rx. the all-new f sport. this is the pursuit of perfection. with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved . . tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens,

you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. our cloud is made of bedrock.

concrete. and steel. our cloud is the smartest brains combating the latest security threats. it spans oceans, stretches continents. and is scalable as far as the mind can see. our cloud is the cloud other clouds look up to. welcome to the uppernet.

some surprising numbers out today for the first time this election season. the fund-raiser and chief did not full in as much money as his opponent.

mitt romney and the rnc raised a cool $77 million in may. almost $17 million more than president obama and the dnc. that has to be a disturbing figure for candidate obama who dominated the fight for funds. he outraised senator mccain by more than $500 million. joining me now to talk about the state of the race, the new yorkers washington correspondent, ryan lizza, democratic strategist, maria cardona, and former bush speech writer and cnn contributor, david frum. hi, guys. >> how are you doing? >> this has been a pretty bad week for president obama, not only the bad fundraising numbers and the bad jobs numbers at the end of last week, the loss of the with is which is recall, bill clinton went off message. what else can i think of? is this just media hysteria. we like to create these story line ors does this actually

matter, ryan? >> the worst thing that happened this week are the jobs numbers. all the rest is an excuse to glom on to what the real bad news is for the president. if the recovery does not accelerate in the next few months, he is in danger of losing re-election. that's the most important thing. on the plus side, he killed the number two in al qaeda, which is sort of like -- you are td only one talking about it. >> the wisconsin recall, that's bad for democrats. the fundraising numbers, i think you have to see a few months worth of fundraising numbers. this is the first month where romney could go back to the well on some of those folks that wrote him checks during the primaries. >> maria, one of the points that came up is that romney was able to raise money from some small donors. only 15% are from small donors. is that worrisome to democrats?

>> i think what is worrisome is the jobs numbers. that's why you are going to see this president continue to focus on the economy. he is not going to get sidetracked. he is focused on creating jobs. he is talking about student loans loans and helping people stay in their homes and push congress to pass legislation. he is pushing republicans to make sure and work with him to create jobs. they are not pushing anything. they are not helping him. mitch mcconnell's number one issue for republicans as he stated very clearly is to make this president a one-term president. going back to the fundraising numbers, it is not a surprise he is now raising more money. he is consolidating. all of his rich friends are helping him. >> david, let me ask you this quickly. we had governor rendell on who was head of the democratic party at one point. i asked, why haven't you said that you think president obama

will win this election? here is what governor rendell said. >> you said today that the president was going to be competitive but you wouldn't say that he was going to win. why? >> because i don't know he is going to win. i have this strange habit of trying to tell the truth when you ask me a question. i am not sure he is going to win. >> why can't democrats get on the same page. is this great news for your party? >> why should he do that? tv can be like real life. democrats know in their hearts that this is going to be a very difficult election for the president. the fund-raising numbers and the job numbers are the same story. president obama -- or candidate obama in 2008 raised so much money because he was able to raise lots and lots of checks and people were giving $200. they weren't always ultra small donations. a lot were giving $200 one month and another $200 another month. but the shape of this recovery has been one where the people with a lot of money have

recovered smartly. the people with less money, the kind of people who think i might give $200, suddenly they don't have -- they don't feel they have the $200 to spare. the economic pressure on the bottom three-quarters or bottom 80% of america that has tightened over the past four years, not relaxed, that's the economic story. it's also the donation story. the president's small donors don't have the money to give the way they did in 2007. >> and i actually think the president can use that, because to david's point, it has been the people with wealth that have not really been affected by this recession. he can use that. by the way, his fund-raising efforts -- >> how does he use the fact my people don't have as much money? >> because what he's saying is that -- and this goes to another topic that you pointed to, which is by asking rich people, people who have done well, to pay a little bit more, that's something that most americans agree with. >> the president is also raising plenty of money from big dollar bundlers. >> 98% of the funds that he has

raised has been from -- >> he's getting it from george clooney and his friends. >> he's also getting many more small -- >> but in 2008 it was in addition to the big dollar base. >> we didn't even get to talk about bill clinton. i guess the fund-raising numbers -- all right, we're done. no, no, we're out of time. ding, ding, ding, ding. it's always fun to have you guys on. >> thanks, jessica. "erin burnett outfront" is coming up at the top of the hour. erin, hi. federal reserve chair ben bernanke testified before congress today, but pretty tight-lipped on taking any steps to help the economy. what's that about? >> really tight-lipped. i think, jessica, trying to say it's not my job, i've done a lot. there are serious risks to what the fed does short term to help the economy that could cause a lot of pain long term. he doesn't want to do more unless he has to. he wants congress to do it. we'll be joined by chris van hollen to talk about whether there's a real compromise. and a shocking video that we found, jessica, coming out of

egypt which includes the line "banish the sleep from the eyes of the jews." we'll talk about that with the vice prime minister of israel. back to you. >> wow, all right. thanks, erin. still ahead, 2,000 former nfl players file one massive lawsuit. why they say the league didn't do enough to warn them about head injuries. and a word of advice, if you're speaking on the house floor, silence your cell. how one senator handled his ringing phone next. ♪

[ male announcer ] they were born to climb... born to leap, born to stalk, and born to pounce. to understand why, we journeyed to africa, where their wild ancestor was born. there we discovered that cats, no matter where they are... are born to be cats. and shouldn't your cat be who he was born to be? discover your cat's true nature. purina one.

discover your cat's true nature. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays,

creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco.

welcome back. here's lisa sylvester with the latest news you need to know right now. hey, lisa. >> hi, jessica. well, new york city detectives finished their search this morning of the home of pedro hernandez, the alleged killer of 6-year-old etan patz. authorities received a computer drive and two satchels as possible evidence in the 1979 murder. hernandez's wife says her husband is mentally ill and his confession to strangling the boy is unreliable. patz was among the first missing children to have their faces on the side of a milk carton. and more than 2,000 former pro football players are banding together in a mega lawsuit against the nfl, alleging the league deliberately hid the

risks of head injuries. lawyers for the players say the nfl engaged in a campaign of deceit and deception instead of protecting the health of its players. the league says the suit has no merit. a $400 million fire on board a nuclear submarine may have started with a vacuum cleaner. the navy says the vacuum was in an unoccupied area when the fire broke out in maine last month. officials also say that the uss miami's nuclear plant wasn't operating at the time. and a tire phiierrifying sc china. this toddler was rescued after slipping through the bars of a fourth floor balcony. the child's parents weren't in the apartment when the baby warneded away, fell through an opening in the railing and became stuck. a neighbor scaled the side of the building and kept the toddler in place until rescue crews arrived. pretty amazing stuff. looking at that video, i've got to tell you -- >> oh, my gosh. >> and that guy is a hero.

>> thank goodness for that neighbor. he went out on a ledge and clearly put his own life at risk but saved that toddler's life. >> and we have the video to prove it. >> yes, we do. >> that is amazing. stick around for tonight's moment you may have missed. it starts with a reminder, lisa, silence your cell phone if you're at the movies, watching a play or speaking on the floor of the united states senate. >> when i apply the standard that i mentioned and the standards which senator obama laid out or the standards in express -- [ phone ringing ] >> that's the, i must say, usually very proper and traditional senator chuck grassley of iowa. he was speaking about judicial appointments before his ringer interrupted. he muttered, pushed mute and then continued like a pro. it's pretty funny. ha you ever had a terrible

cell moment? >> i haven't. but i usually leave my phone on mute. people can never reach me because it's on vibrate. >> mine once went off when i was live on air. i said, oh, i'm always getting source calls, went right on. that's all from us tonight. "erin burnett outfront" starts right now. outfront next, secret talks to save america from economic disaster going on tonight. and bill clinton says i'm very sorry. but does his apology add up? and reports of a growing problem with american soldiers using a drug linked to the zombie-like attack in miami. let's go outfront. i'm erin burnett. outfront tonight, secret talks. secret talks in congress to save america from fiscal implosion. secret talks happen all the ,